WASHINGTON (CNN) - John J. O'Connor III, the husband of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, died Wednesday, a statement from the court said. He was 79 and had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

O'Connor died in Phoenix, Arizona, the court said. He was at an assisted living facility there.
Sandra Day O'Connor, a moderate conservative and the first woman to serve on the high court, retired in early 2006, saying she needed to spend more time with her husband, who was then in the early stages of his disease.

soundoff(17 Responses)

Having watched Alzheimer's slowly steal my grandfather from my family ... I would that no other family face this loss by inches of a loved one.

My message to his family would be this ... He may be gone from you ... but he is finally free of that vicious thief and will be waiting for you after you all have lived, long, full lives. Remember him as he was ... Mourn his passing and hold on to one another.

Know that the sorrow WILL get better ... but it will take some time.

GOD Bless.

November 11, 2009 12:42 pm at 12:42 pm |

adods

May God hold you in the Light of God's peace.

November 11, 2009 12:48 pm at 12:48 pm |

LacrosseMom

My you rest in peace, and God bless your family.

November 11, 2009 12:49 pm at 12:49 pm |

Helen, DE

May he rest in peace. I admire his wife for retiring to be with him.

November 11, 2009 01:06 pm at 1:06 pm |

Hank Shrier

May John Jay O'Connor find peace. he is in a better place. We are all better off for having a jurist of great integrity serve our country. Judge O'Connor open the door. She proved that women make excellent judges.

Judge O'Connor, may this loss bring you a sense of relief that your Husband's suffering is over. Thank you again for your splendid service on the court. While I may not agree with all you decisions, I admire your legal mind and even handed judicial demeanor.

Sincerely,

Hank Shrier

November 11, 2009 01:07 pm at 1:07 pm |

Peace be with you

And to your family Justice O'Connor.

November 11, 2009 01:12 pm at 1:12 pm |

ThinkAgain

My condolences to the O'Connor family. I'm sure they are finding comfort in the fact that former Justice O'Connor made the wise decision to retire and spend time with her husband and family. A very classy, loving woman.

November 11, 2009 01:14 pm at 1:14 pm |

Padraig

My condolesences. May God Bless you and your family and look over you.

November 11, 2009 01:14 pm at 1:14 pm |

Karen

May God wrap His arms around the family and give them peace.

November 11, 2009 01:17 pm at 1:17 pm |

normajean

May her load be lighter now and may she find peace in the
time before her.Losing a loved one , be they young or old is one of the hardest things we face in life, but time does ease the pain.

November 11, 2009 01:37 pm at 1:37 pm |

Nick in LA

Condolences Justice O'Conner and her family.

November 11, 2009 02:06 pm at 2:06 pm |

Fools and their freedoms are soon parted

My family expresses their condolences.

November 11, 2009 02:25 pm at 2:25 pm |

Another AZ Native

I see him with his old partner, Phil, who has perhaps dusted off his banjo in celebration of his arrival, and his lovely bride, Barbara. My sincerest condolences to the O'Connor family. My family also is dealing with this disease. God bless.

November 11, 2009 02:26 pm at 2:26 pm |

Mack D Jones, MD, SAAN

My condolences to the O'Connor family.

Alzheimer's Disease took my father and his father. Evidence is accumulating in support of the concept that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a cause if not the cause of Alzheimer's Disease and/or other dementias and treatment is as simple as the use of a positive airway pressure (PAP) machine.

All Alzheimer's patients with OSA (almost all have it) should be treated with a PAP machine.

November 11, 2009 02:30 pm at 2:30 pm |

Albert Collier

My deepest condolences to the O'Connor family. The choice the former justice made was the truly decent thing a loving spouse does. God bless.